


Guardian

by irllink



Category: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Guardian Angels, Guardian Angel AU, M/M, angel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-09-22 13:09:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9608867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irllink/pseuds/irllink
Summary: Link has trained night and day ever since he was created to be the best guardian angel there is. He is not interested in friendships or romance, only protecting the person he was made to guard. However, the guy he's assigned to, Ravio, gives him a run for his money, and Link realizes that sometimes things aren't just black and white, that there's a gradient of color and love and life that waits for him....He didn't sign up for this.Guardian Angel AU.





	1. In The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> It's been about five months since I finished Beyond the Wall, and it was so well loved and enjoyed that I wanted to try to write another fic about the ship that has destroyed me for everyone. I just really love AUs apparently.

                He is created for a purpose—to be a guardian. To protect those who cannot protect themselves. He understands this, and trains as hard as he can. Link is a hard worker; he does not slack off or have off-days. He only works.

                Link knows one day he’ll be assigned to someone. Someone he must protect with no reservation. Every time Zelda speaks to him, his back straightens in attention, his head is held high. He wonders when his assignment will be given; when he will know who he must protect. But every time, it is only a word of greeting, a, “How do you do?” and such, and never an assignment, never a reason to continue training.

                He continues to train anyways.

                He spars with other angels, although none of them are as passionate as he is. Whispers and mumbles go about, such as, “Link tries too hard, doesn’t he?” “He’s working too hard; his wings are going to fall off, and he’ll die from exhaustion. I’m a bit worried…” “Isn’t it a little annoying? Zelda obviously watches him more than any of us.” Link hears them all. Link doesn’t care. He was created for a purpose, and he feels that he must be the very best at what he is made to do. He refuses to be a broken appliance, a machine that won’t work.

                He does not realize any negative feelings towards his work, no, he only acknowledges the positive ones. His purpose is important; he will hold someone’s life in his hands one day.

                And then the day comes.

                He has never been summoned to the throne room before—the most beautiful room in Heaven, where Zelda and her own angelic soldiers reside. She has one retrieve him, and Link follows him after a nod and something of a smile. The solider leads the way, and as soon as his back is turned, Link smiles wide. His assignment…the person he will protect…what are they like? He wonders briefly if it might be awkward if she’s a girl; he thinks about how often he’d have to leave her alone, as she showers or changes, and scowls, because he could not protect her in those situations.

                 Link shakes his head, and hopes for a boy—someone who’s personal space is something to be shared. Wait, wait, no… Link shakes his head again and scowls once more upon realizing how the strangely worded thought could be taken. He is not looking for romance. That is not his purpose, his reason of existence. He didn’t mean… er…

                You catch his drift.

                The doors to the throne room are opened for him, and he bows lowly aside the soldiers, rising only when Zelda tells them to, “Link.” Her voice is soft yet firm, something made for a leader. He tries not to smile upon having the thought, _She has a purpose, too._

“Yes?” He replies, back straight and head held high as always, his hands clasped behind his back, standing at full attention.

                “Come, now, there is no reason to be so formal,” Zelda says with a gentle smile, “But I believe this news will be music to your ears.”

                Link holds back another smile, trying to hide his childish excitement, wondering and hoping with all his heart that the day has come. He waits patiently for her to continue, and she laughs softly and quietly before continuing.

                “I feel as if you already know, but,” She turns her back to him, walking to the walls made of only windows and looking out, down at Earth, so small and infinitesimal compared to Heaven, “There is someone who needs you.” She turns her head and smiles at him, “Do you think you can-”

                “Yes.” He replies, his face immediately coloring upon realizing he’s cut her off, “My apologies, I-”

                “My turn to interrupt,” she laughs, “It’s okay, Link, truly.” She looks out the window again, “You’ll be provided with clothes and other essentials that are considered normal there, so please have no worries about that.” She turns back to him again, looks him over, “You’ve trained well for this day, haven’t you? You know what I have to do, yes?”

                Link nods, turns his own back, wings almost tensing. He isn’t sure if this is going to hurt, but trusts her as some sort of a divine wind kicks up in the room, and he watches as a single feather blows past.

                It didn’t hurt, thankfully. His wings are no longer visible, but they’re there; he can feel them. “You will be able to call to me,” Zelda stops, waits for him to finish her sentence.

                “And they’ll return to their original form, yeah?” Link turns his head to look at her, and she smiles.

                “Precisely.” And then, to her soldiers, “You’ll make sure he gets there safe?” They nod, and her smile widens to something more childish and sincere, rather than the graceful, small one she wore earlier.

                To Earth he goes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this update took so long lmfao Let's Do This Shit

The edge of heaven is about as daunting as it sounds. 

Link finds himself understandably nervous as he stands a good ten feet away from the ledge, his escorts noticing this and sharing a glance between each other, and perhaps something of a grin. 

"You know," one says to Link, "it might make you feel better if you looked first." 

"Oh, true!" the other agrees, "Just a peek won't hurt, right? And then we can fly you down!"

Link's gaze falls to the side before convincing himself they might be right. He slowly and cautiously steps towards the end of the golden clouds, stopping a few feet away to look back. 

So long, he thinks, his usually-hardened expression softening as he wishes his homeland well in his near-future extended absence. 

"Well?" one of the other angels taps her foot, but keeps her grin, "Are you going to look, or what?"

Link nods and steps a bit closer to the edge, never much for conversation. He peers over and feels a pain of nervousness in his stomach, jolting when a hand comes down on his shoulder. 

"We're supposed to escort you, but..." one looks toward the other, the original cheery grin looking a bit more sinister now, "isn't that a big waste of our time? And...you're a bit of a kiss-up up here, right?"

"I can't wait to see how you struggle with the guy you got assigned to, pal, I mean it!" the other places his hand on Link's other shoulder, "I haven't had a good laugh in awhile."

Link attempts to step back, but the hands keep him firmly in place. He avoids struggling, fearing he might slip.

"And so," she says, "you're off!" Both hands push him, and as much as he wishes his feet would listen and stay put, Link finds himself sailing off the edge.

Though involuntary, he yells the whole way down, squeezing his eyes shut as he falls through the clouds, wishing and willing his wings to work, although to no avail. He realizes as he falls that his bag of supplies still sits at heaven's edge and his yell seems to get louder. 

His landing is just about as graceful as his take-off; Link lands with such force that he leaves quite the crater in the earth. He lays there in the dirt, his eyes barely opening as he looks towards the place he once called home. 

His eyes fully open when he realizes the beauty of the earth's sky.

Link stays there for awhile in childish wonder and amazement before peeling himself off the ground, dusting himself off as he stands, and-

...Ow?

Though now aware of how much pain he's in, he checks himself over, noticing that even through the sturdiness of an angel, he received several scrapes and already-forming bruises, and...

Ah, one of his hidden wings hurts the most. 

He reaches back to try to put some pressure on it, but his hand falls through and presses against his back instead. Link suppresses feelings of panic as he takes a few deep breaths and continues swatting dirt off of his body. He looks around the field he landed in, only to realize the city lights are quite far off in the distance. 

Link sighs, but his trek towards the far-off shimmering lights begins immediately. 

\---

As he walks down the sidewalk, he plans to make no time to look at the shops' windows or marvel at the city's natural beauty, but the newness of everything gets the best of him, and he finds himself stopped in front of a particularly good-smelling store. 

He peers through the window, getting a few strange looks and even a whistle or two from passerby's. 

"Um...!" His trance-like focus is broken by a soft voice, and he turns to face a girl who immediately looks away and back to a group of her assumed friends. "I-I was wondering..." she mumbles the next part, and Link's brow furrows.

"I can't hear you." he simply states, causing her to tense a bit.

"I...I really am sorry to bother you," she says, "and I'm only doing this because- because my friends bet me to, but, er..." she holds up her phone, the new contact page pulled up.

Link raises an eyebrow, "I don't know what this means." 

"Huh?" she double checks her screen, "Er, I- I'm asking you for your number, um..."

"There are too many inhabitants on earth for me to know their number," he replies, "only Zelda and the higher-ups know."

The girl makes a face, quickly apologizes for bothering him, and returns to her group of friends.   
He picks up on one of them murmuring, "Oh, he was a religious freak? Sorry, I thought he was just in a costume or something..." 

Link looks towards the sky as the orange sunset slowly begins to darken to a deeper blue, and notices his body feels... he's not sure of the term for the discomfort, but he nearly begins to shiver. 

"Oh, geez," Link turns towards another voice; a guy exits the coffee shop Link stands near and walks over to him. "Come on, buddy, why are you out here without a shirt on like that?" The guy unzips his jacket as he talks and offers it to Link. "Nice skirt and all, but it's cold. I'll walk you to the subway so I can snag that jacket back, yeah?"

Link looks down at himself, and true, his white robe that reaches his knees isn't entirely keeping him warm anymore. But...  
"No," he puts his hand up and refuses the jacket, "sorry. I'm looking for somebody and got distracted." His brow furrows as he tries to remember manners used here, "Thank you, though."

"Who're ya looking for?" the young man asks him, continuing to hold out his jacket, shaking it a little so Link will take it anyways. "I might be able to help." 

Link looks at him, a bit annoyed at his persistence, but obliges, "Do you know where the..." his eyes squint as he tries to remember the name, "Tree...West apartments are?"

The other suppresses a laugh but tries to stay polite, "The... the Sycamore West apartments, maybe?" Link nods and he continues, "You're in luck, I'm headed that way as well. So just... come on, buddy, take my jacket and we'll go together."

After a few more jabs of convincing, Link finally puts on the jacket and follows the young man down the stairs and to the subway. He pays for Link using his sub card, and stands alongside him as they wait. Link quite blatantly stares at him, noting his dark hair and tanned skin, and when he glances back at Link and offers a smile, Link adds his green eyes and the subtle gap between his front teeth to his useless list of the stranger's features, and-

Hey, hold on. 

Before Link can ask, the loud train nearly flies by, eventually coming to a stop. He follows the young man onto the subway, and to Link's demise, he talks the whole way, not letting Link get a single word in. 

"Hey, this is our stop." He squeezes past a few people, but quickly notices Link getting stuck on the train. He goes back and, to Link's surprise, grabs his hand, announcing, "Coming through!" Link stares at their hands as they exit the train, and almost forgets to let go when they're off. He brings his hand closer to his face, noticing the brand on the back of his hand beginning to shine.

"So, what got you all scratched up like that? You fall or some-"

"You..." Link interrupts, his vision shifting from his hand to the smiling face of his subway companion. 

"What's up?"

"You're my assignment." he says this like it's a normal phrase, and in his defense, to him? It is. 

The other young man chuckles a little, an eyebrow raising, but his smile unfaltering. "You're assignment? Uhh... you hit your head too when you got banged up like that?"

Link shakes his head and unzips the jacket, removing it as he speaks. "I'm your guardian angel." He hands the jacket back, "So you shouldn't be looking after me."

The guy's smile crooks before he bursts into laughter, "Guardian angel? Did I help a drunk on the subway?" His laughter continues but sharply stops after a few seconds, his eyes widening a bit and his expression twisting into something of fear. 

Link cocks his head as, unbeknownst to him, the image of Zelda stands behind him, illuminating his wings and brand. She smiles at the other man before waving, perhaps playfully, and fading off into the crowd. 

"U-uh-uh," the other man looks around, noticing that no one else seemed to see, "Okay, okay, uh... what apartment- er, what apartment number did you need again?"

"My assignment's...yours," Link squints in thought again, "1122?"

The young man takes a step back in bewilderment, but it doesn't take long for a smile to return, though exasperated.

"Well," he says in disbelief, "alright, I guess you need a name to the number?"

Link outstretches his hand. "I am Link."

"Ravio, at your service. Or are you at mine?" he shakes his hand, "How does this work, exactly?"

Link begins to explain, and almost forgets to let go of his hand again as they exit the subway.

Ravio, huh?


End file.
